


Helping Hands Hold Us High

by xTarmanderx



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Liam is a worried boyfriend, M/M, Theo volunteers, a light hint of angst, mentions of Theo being homeless
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-27
Updated: 2020-12-26
Packaged: 2021-03-10 20:08:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,399
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28352955
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xTarmanderx/pseuds/xTarmanderx
Summary: Liam wants Theo to spend the holidays with him and his family, but Theo tells him he has plans and refuses to elaborate. Liam can’t just leave it alone.
Relationships: Liam Dunbar/Theo Raeken
Comments: 10
Kudos: 64
Collections: Thiam Holiday Gift Exchange 2020





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [parttimehuman](https://archiveofourown.org/users/parttimehuman/gifts).



> For Mercy, who prompted this for the OTL Gift Exchange. This is part two of your gift! I love you lots and you deserve a million more things.

“What do you mean?” Liam asks, hanging over the back of the couch. Theo doesn’t even signify him with a response at first, tapping away in his phone. “Theo,” he whines when it’s clear the chimera isn’t going to say something. “It’s Christmas.”

“I’m aware that it’s going to be the 25th of December next week. And I told you I’m busy.” Green eyes flick up at him before dropping back down to his phone. 

“Theo, your only other friends aside from me are Mason and Corey. And I know for a  _ fact  _ that they’re going out of town with Mason’s family. Come on, it’ll be fun! My mom wants to make gingerbread houses and watch Christmas movies and spend the day as a family. You know that you’re part of the family.” He hopes those will be the magic words, but Theo doesn’t bat an eye. “They’re even calling for snow and we could make snowmen!” He’s willing to bet the chimera has never made one and he could show him the ropes. But still, despite his best attempts, Theo doesn’t seem to be shaken. 

“Little wolf,” the chimera slides his phone into his pocket and tilts his head back, “I appreciate it. But you’re not going to talk me into this. You and your family can spend the day together and it’s not like I’m leaving you forever. I’ll be able to do gifts in the morning like you want and I should be back in time for dinner. We can still do some of those things.” Theo reasons. 

“It’s not the same as spending the day with you.” He doesn’t get it. They’ve been living together for the last two months and dating for a couple of weeks. What the hell could be more important than spending time together for the holidays? He knows that Theo has never properly celebrated a Christmas, they’d talked about it back at his birthday in November, and Liam had been looking forward to celebrating together. “Theo-“

“I’ve gotta go to work.” The chimera lifts up from the couch, pressing a kiss along his jaw. “I appreciate the offer, Liam. It’s not that I don’t want to celebrate with you. But I really do have other plans for the afternoon.”

“Why won’t you tell me about them?” He’s fully aware that he’s whining, and Theo will probably grow annoyed in the next few seconds, but he can’t help it. He’s desperate for some kind of answer and he’s more than put out that his boyfriend won’t give him one. 

“Why does it matter so much? I’m not cheating on you and I’m not killing anyone. Can’t you just trust me and take my word for it?” Theo throws him a double-edged sword and Liam presses his lips together. He  _ does  _ trust Theo. If he didn’t, he never would have invited the chimera to life with him and his parents. They’ve grown close and Theo knows things about Liam that he’s never told anyone else. He knows about Theo’s nightmares, and has been told a little bit about his time in hell, but the chimera is still full of secrets. Of course Theo is entitled to them, but Liam is starting to feel left out. He wants to understand his boyfriend and be there the way that he should be. But he just wishes Theo trusted him. 

“Of course,” he whispers. 

“I’ll be back sometime around 3 or 4, don’t wait up for me.” Theo says, getting to his feet. Pressing a chaste kiss to Liam’s lips, he heads out the front door and leaves the beta more confused than before. Frowning, he climbs over the couch and stretches out in the vacant space. Theo’s scent surrounds him and he rubs his face against the cushions, taking a deep breath. He smells like peppermint and sandalwood, a hint of his natural scent coming through. It soothes Liam’s inner wolf. 

Before he can start to spiral, he fishes his phone from his pocket and hits speed dial. As it rings, he presses speaker and rolls onto his back. It sounds three times before Mason picks up, sounding a little breathless. “Hey, man! What’s up?”

“Please tell me that I didn’t interrupt you and Corey having sex,” he whines. 

“No!” Corey shouts from somewhere in the background. “We’ve been cleaning the house!”

“Corey’s unloading the dishwasher and I just finished sweeping the stairwell. Did you talk to him?”

“Ooh, is he talking about Theo? Put it on speaker!” Corey yells. It takes a moment for Mason to oblige and Liam waits patiently, turning the conversation over again in his mind. 

When he relays it all back to Mason, his best friend hums thoughtfully. “Maybe he’s going to visit the graves of his family?” He suggests. “Or the place where he killed his sister?” Liam does his very best not to flinch. He knows Mason doesn’t mean it the way it sounds, but it still makes him uncomfortable. It’s taken a long time to forgive Theo for his past transgressions, but that doesn’t mean he’s forgotten. 

“But he tells me when he goes to visit them. This is different.”

“Maybe he just doesn’t want to be around family? It probably doesn’t bring up very good memories for him,” Corey offers. 

“But that’s exactly why I  _ want  _ to spend the day with him. I want to replace all those bad memories with the good ones we can have together. Then he asked if I trusted him and it felt like a punch to the stomach. It’s not that I think he’s up to anything bad.”

“You’re just curious.” Mason says softly. “Maybe you should leave it alone for a few days and let him come to you when he’s ready.”

“You know I’m the least patient person in the world.” Liam sighs and gnaws on his lower lip. “I’ll try. Thanks, Mase. Corey. I’ll talk to you later.”

“Don’t mope around the house over this.” Mason says before he hangs up. Rolling over in his spot, Liam sighs and closes his eyes. Maybe a nap will put him in a better mood. 

-

The week drags. Liam drops the subject of Christmas, still hopeful that Theo will say something to him, but the chimera keeps his mouth shut. On Christmas Eve, he comes home early due to an attempted robbery at the gas station where he works. Liam runs him a hot bath and spends the night taking care of his partner, clinging to him a little more than necessary. Theo doesn’t seem to mind, sensing that he needs to be close. But still, he doesn’t get any answers.

Christmas morning is a quiet affair. Gifts are pushed back to the evening when David gets called into an emergency surgery at the breakfast table with a promise that he’ll call if he’s going to be late. Next thing Liam knows, Theo is coming downstairs dressed in jeans and a soft sweater, fresh out of the shower. He presses a kiss to Jenna’s cheek and then a lingering one to Liam’s lips, murmuring that he’ll be back in time for dinner.

He’s less than five seconds out the door when Liam mutters ‘fuck it’ and runs to grab his coat. “Sorry, mom.” He says as he thunders down the stairs, hugging her quickly. “Gotta go help Theo!”

“More like spy on him,” Jenna snorts into her mug of hot chocolate. “Try not to get caught?”

“Do you know where he’s going?” He asks, frowning a little. 

“Not a clue. He just said it was something he promised to do and I took his word for it.” She answers, lifting a hand to cup his cheek. “He’s a good young man, Liam. Maybe he just isn’t ready to tell you.”

“I’m his boyfriend. He should be able to tell me anything.”

“Maybe this isn’t about you. Maybe it’s just something he needs to do for himself.”

“You sound like Mason,” he grumbles. “...fine. I  _ won’t  _ stalk my boyfriend.”

“We both know that isn’t true. But if you’re going into town, will you pick me up another thing of powdered sugar? And some cookies. You can put them on your emergency credit card.” Lightly patting him on the cheek, she pads to the kitchen table and takes a seat.

“Feeding your sugar addiction isn’t an emergency.” Liam says, rolling his eyes fondly. “Anything else?”

“I don’t think so. You have a nice day with Theo.” She says. Nodding, he goes over to her and hugs her again. He doesn’t want to leave her alone on Christmas and he’s going to make it up to her. 

“Tonight, we are going to do gifts and make gingerbread houses and watch all the movies you want to.” He promises with a kiss to the top of her head. “I’ll go to the grocery store and I’ll be right back.”

He means to keep that promise. He does. Honestly, he’s not even aware that he isn’t going to keep it until he’s backing out of his parking space. Catching sight of a familiar truck at the other end of the lot, he hits his brakes and cranes his neck over his shoulder. Sure enough, Theo’s truck is sitting among a few others outside the local soup kitchen. He tells himself that he just wants to check on the chimera and parks a second time, hopping out of his car. 

As he makes his way across the parking lot, he strains his senses toward the building. He can hear people speaking inside, but he can’t make heads or tails of ang conversations. What was Theo doing at the soup kitchen? Did he really not feel like a member of the family? Liam’s insides clench at the thought and he takes a deep breath to try and steady himself. He doesn’t need to spiral. Theo was probably...well...actually, Liam doesn’t have any plausible explanations for this. 

Shaking his head, he pulls open the door and steps into the room. Startles green eyes lift from the line of food, but on the opposite one that Liam was expecting. Theo’s got an apron on and a smile slipping from his face as he spoons gravy onto someone’s plate. A second later, the scent of his embarrassment threatens to choke Liam. 


	2. Chapter 2

“Thanks again, Theo. We really appreciate it.” Jade says as she hands him an apron. Nodding, he ties it neatly behind his back and pulls on a pair of gloves. “We’ve almost finished setting up the food. Carol called out sick last minute, so you’re going to have to man it yourself. Think you’re up for it?” She asks, walking him quickly from the kitchen into the dining hall. A few tablecloths are being spread over tables by other volunteers, decorations set on them with care. 

“Whatever you need, Jade.” He tells the woman. She’s only a few years older than him, a senior at Berkeley if he remembers correctly. 

“I heard that you aren’t still at the shelter. When I was there for Thanksgiving, someone mentioned you’d found a new place to stay. Is that true?” She asks, pulling her dark hair up into a messy ponytail. She uses bobby-pins to neatly tuck back every loose strand and spins on her heel, one hand resting on her hip as she looks up at him. 

“At least temporarily.” He answers. “A friend from school. Boyfriend now.” It feels weird admitting such a personal detail from his life to her, but she only smiles. “He found out about my truck and asked me to move in with him and his parents.”

“Can’t imagine they don’t love you. Everyone does. Why do you look like you’re going to jump out of your skin?” She arches her brow and he chuckles lowly. 

“I haven’t told him about today. It felt weird saying ‘hey, I’ve decided to volunteer at the soup kitchen that helped at the homeless shelter I depended on when I was living on the streets’ and all. We don’t exactly talk about that period in my life.” Theo says honestly, rubbing the back of his neck. 

“I’ve told you a dozen times, there is nothing to be ashamed of.” Jade lightly pokes him in the chest. “You and I went through some hard shit, Raeken. And look at us now. Have you reached out to that therapist I told you about?” 

“No,” he admits as his cheeks flush with color. 

“Jade! Could use some help!” Someone yells from the back. 

“Shit. Duty calls. Think on it, okay? Go man your station, I’ll check on you when I can. Doors are opening in five.” With a grin, she turns and struts confidently into the kitchen. Shaking his head, he approaches the table and begins taking lids off of containers. As he straightens up the plates and finishes putting cutlery out, the first few stragglers wander in. 

He plasters on the biggest smile he can muster as he quietly greets each person, wishing them a happy holidays and walking them through the line. Some of them refuse to meet his gaze and the scent of their embarrassment and disgust makes his chest go taut. He remembers being one of them. When he’d been homeless after returning from hell, it had taken weeks for him to swallow his dignity and accept help. The first two times he’d walked into the soup kitchen, he’d turned and stormed out. The third time he came, Jade had been waiting at the door with a bowl of soup. She’s made some witty comment and dragged him over to a table, sitting down across from him for a few minutes. 

She’d never asked questions, but Theo had opened up to her as the weeks went by. He’d mentioned the loss of his family and that he had no friends. That he’d been living in his truck since he’d returned to town a few months prior. And she’d just smiled each time and shared some of her own story, offering him more food. She’d told him about the shelter downtown and given him the money needed to stay the first few nights. After that, she’d disappeared back to college and promised to check in on him when she could. 

He owed this community his life. If they hadn’t helped him back onto his feet, he probably would have strayed from the path he was trying to stay on. He wanted to be different, be better than he’d been before hell, but it wasn’t magic. The same Theo was there under the surface, itching under his skin. As much as it pained him to admit it, he’d contemplated killing people for their cash more times than he cared to remember. 

And then Liam had shown up outside of his truck one night when the shelter had been too full. He’d looked horrified that Theo was sleeping in the freezing rain, shuddering in his backseat. He hadn’t taken no for an answer. And so the chimera had found himself driving the pair of them back to the Geyer residence, where he’d fully intended to drop Liam off. Then Jenna had asked him to stay the night. And she had every night since. 

Theo hadn’t talked about his homelessness. He’d told Liam’s parents that his own family was gone and that was all Jenna had needed to hear. They’d never once pressured him and he hadn’t wanted to talk about it. He was embarrassed and ashamed, filled with emotions that he’d always managed to bury before his trip to hell. Now he felt like he’d been skinned alive and left bare for the world to see. 

“...thank you, dear.” An old woman says in front of him. He smiles and nods, dipping the ladle into the gravy and spooning out a portion for her. As he takes a breath, Liam’s scent hits him full force and he looks up in surprise to find the beta in the doorway. Curious blue eyes sweep down over him and he battles the heat rising in his face, turning back to the old woman. 

“Come and let me know if you need anything else.” He says quietly. 

“Hey,” Jade greets as she slips into the spade beside him, “you’re doing great! Ready to take your break? I can trade out for you.”

“I’m good.” Taking a break means that he’ll have to face Liam and that’s not a conversation that he wants. “You need me back in the kitchen at all?”

“And make the world miss out on your pretty face? Nah, we’re good. Gus is finishing up a fresh pot of gumbo and there’s another casserole about to come out of the oven. I’ll bring it out when it’s ready.” She promises, patting him on the shoulder and walking away. But rather than going into the kitchen, he sees her walk around the table and go to greet Liam at the door. 

It takes a great deal of willpower not to eavesdrop. When enough time has passed, he looks up to see Liam is gone and relief fills him. He knows that his boyfriend will have questions later, but for right now he just wants to focus on serving others. If he’s being honest with himself, he knew this was coming. Liam could never let anything rest. He had to stick his nose into everything. And though he’d been patient for the last week, Theo should have known that he wouldn’t give up so easily. 

He’s more than surprised when his boyfriend fills the empty space next to him. Liam’s got a matching apron on and he’s fixing his gloves into place, reaching for a spoon. Wordlessly he starts putting vegetables on the plates of people coming through the line, smiling and greeting them as he does. Theo waits and waits for the other shoe to drop, but there’s no sign of it. Just Liam and his sunny smile. He doesn’t know what it means, but he isn’t going to question it. There will be time to talk later. 


	3. Chapter 3

“You guys are doing an amazing job, seriously.” The woman who introduced herself as Jade stands behind them, a bright grin on her face. “But if you both don’t take a break, I’m going to kick you out.” She warns. To his right, Theo mutters something under his breath. He steps back and hands over his gravy ladle, peeling his gloves off. “Thanks, Theo. Grab yourself a bowl of gumbo from the back. You too, Liam.”

“Yes ma’am.” He says, turning and following after his boyfriend. Theo wordlessly enters the kitchen and lifts a bowl of gumbo, pressing one into his hands before grabbing a second. He gets utensils and napkins for both of them, striding back through the doors before Liam can blink. His expression falls and he shuffles slowly behind Theo, sitting down at the table he chooses. When Theo stabs his spoon harder than necessary into his bowl, he releases a deep sigh. “You’re mad at me.”

“Not mad. Hurt,” Theo corrects with a small frown. “I thought you trusted me.”

“I did. I  _ do,” _ he hastens to correct himself. “I didn’t follow you here. I was at the grocery store for my mom and I saw your truck. I was curious, Theo. I thought maybe you’d put yourself here because you felt like an outsider in my home.” He defends, feeling the heat pooling in his cheeks. Theo pauses for a moment and Liam knows that he’s checking his heartbeat. He reminds himself that Theo always has to check because of his past and tries not to take it personally. 

“You didn’t follow me?” He asks quietly. 

“No. But I wanted to. Mason and my mom both pointed out that I need to trust you. And I do,” he insists softly. He slides one hand across the table and gently covers Theo’s. When the chimera doesn’t budge, he takes it as a good sign and squeezes lightly. “I thought you didn’t feel like part of the family and came here to eat instead. I was worried about you.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.” Theo says softly. 

“Why didn’t you?” Liam asks, biting the inside of his cheek. “Do you...is it me that isn’t trusted?”

“No. Not...not entirely.”

“Ouch.”

“I’m not good at this.” Sighing, Theo turns over his hand and laces their fingers together. “You know I was homeless before I came to live with you?”

“Yeah.” They’ve never talked about it, but Liam’s stomach still twists. He remembers all too well how he’d stumbled across the truck by accident. He’d been running in the rain after a particularly nasty IED episode and damn near run into Theo’s truck as he’d raced through the preserve. When he’d pressed himself to the window, the chimera had been huddled in the backseat with a threadbare blanket and a lumpy pillow. He’d jumped the moment Liam had knocked on the window, looking annoyed and then scared. The emotions had been quickly masked, but Liam would never forget them. That moment of vulnerability had pushed him to offer Theo a place to sleep. And then Theo had stayed, letting down his guard and opening up to Liam. They’d built a friendship and it all came down to that moment. 

“I wasn’t doing well, Liam. I didn’t have any money, the cops kept making me move my truck, and I couldn’t find enough scraps to feed myself half the time. I almost did things I would have regretted, but this place saved me. I walked in and out a few times and one day Jade stopped me and gave me some food. Then she gave me money for the shelter and helped me stay there a few nights out of the week. I’d be dead without these people. After Thanksgiving, I saw a flyer posted that said they needed volunteers for Christmas. So I signed up.” Theo says the words quickly, barely taking a breath, and Liam’s heart clenches for him. 

“But you didn’t tell me. Why?” He presses gently. 

“I was ashamed. Embarrassed. It’s all so new to me. I didn’t want to burden you with it. These emotions...I’ve never had to deal with them before.” Theo shrugs one shoulder, dropping his gaze to his food. “I’m sorry.”

“No. I’m sorry that I found out this way. I wish you had been the one to tell me and that you hadn’t been forced to right now.” He grips Theo’s fingers tightly and smiles across the table. “And if you’d told me sooner, I could have volunteered with you and my parents would have helped.”

“I didn’t want to ruin your Christmas. You had all these plans and I didn’t want to let you down. This was important to me.” Theo murmurs. 

“And it should be.” Liam says seriously, rubbing his fingers along the back of Theo’s hand. “Theo Raeken, you’re an absolute moron and one of my best friends. And I love you. But you know what I love most about you right now?”

“How good I make this apron look?” The chimera cracks a smirk, but it’s fragile at best. 

“How selfless you are by being here. You could have thrown this into the faces of my pack to show them how different you are. But you didn’t. You kept this all to yourself and  _ that _ shows me that you aren’t the same Theo. This place may have helped you on the right path, but it’s been inside of you this whole time. I’m proud of you.” He says sincerely. “And it’s okay to be embarrassed. But you don’t have to hide this from everyone, especially not me.”

“I’ll try and remember that.” Theo says, swallowing hard. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner.”

“It’s okay. I forgive you.” Liam hates the way Theo’s shoulders slump with relief, but it’s progress. He just wishes that Theo understood he had nothing to be sorry for. “So, tell me all about Jade. She’s scary for someone barely five feet tall.”

“Well,” Theo’s grin stretches and morphs into something more genuine, “she’s a force to be reckoned with. She’s been doing this since she was a freshman in high school and…” Liam lets the words wash over him, nodding along as he holds Theo’s hand with one of his own and uses the other to spoon the best damn gumbo he’s ever tasted into his mouth. He cracks a smile when the last of Theo’s embarrassment dissipates from the air around them. It’s a start. 

-

“Oh good, you’re home.” Jenna says when they’ve walked in the door after lunch. “I was worried I was going to have to make my own sugar run. Where are my cookies?” She asks, making grabby hands from the couch. Rolling his eyes, Liam carries the bag over to her and drops it down next to her. 

“Sorry, mom. Didn’t you get my text?” He asks. He’d texted her the moment Jade had introduced herself and asked if he was there to volunteer. 

“Sweetheart, that was three glasses of wine ago. I’m glad you found Theo.” She says, lightly patting his arm. “Are you two going to join me for some Christmas movies?”

“We will in just a minute.” He promises with a soft laugh. Freeing his arm from her, he heads into the kitchen where Theo is pouring two hot chocolate packets into mugs. “I’ll get the milk,” he says as he opens the fridge. 

“Thanks.” Theo grabs a couple of spoons and together they stir their drinks before slipping them into the microwave. “I was talking to Jade when we were switching out shifts with the afternoon crew,” he begins. Liam hums his acknowledgement and waits patiently. “They’re doing another feast on New Year’s and asked if we’d like to volunteer again. I told Jade I’d text her tomorrow after I’d asked you and your family.”

“There’s nowhere else I’d rather be,” Liam promises. He wraps his arms around Theo and kisses him softly, grinning against his lips. “Anything to lend a helping hand to those in need.”

“Thank you,” Theo whispers. He knows it means so much more and he nods, drawing him in for another kiss. They’ve still got a lot to learn about each other, but they’ve got more than enough time. 


End file.
